Cumbernauld woman is bone marrow hero

RESCUING people from mortal danger is just part of the job for firefighter Joanne Wilkie – but she has even saved the life of a man thousands of miles away whom she has never met.

By The Newsroom

Published 5th Oct 2011, 10:09 BST

For Joanne (35) and Ryan Kilbury, of Pascow in the US state of Washington, share a special bond.

It was Joanne’s donation of bone marrow which saved Ryan from life-threatening illness. And next month Joanne will fly to the USA to meet Ryan and his family, including his son Hudson, who could not have been born without Joanne’s donation.

Joanne signed the Anthony Nolan donors’ register nine years ago. She said: “I was giving blood and saw a leaflet from Anthony Nolan explaining what they do and why they need donors. I thought: ‘This looks like something I could do’.”

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Anthony Nolan Washington